BACK
DOOR Newsletter on East Timor

Australian
PM proposes an asylum-seeker processing centre in Timor-Leste

Um
centro de processamento de refugiados em Timor-Leste?

A collection of articles about
Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard's proposal to establish a
processing centre in East Timor for people seeking asylum in Australia.

November
2010

Link to main
Asylum-Seeker
Processing
Contents pageupdated /
atualiza: 18 November 2010Wherever
possible, we have included links
to postings on the east-timor
news list: https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/east-timor.
These postings are usually plain text only and are particularly
suitable for readers using computers that require small downloads. Articles are in reverse chronological
order. The newest articles appear first.17 Nov 2010: The Guardian:
Discrimination against asylum seekers dealt a major blowGuardian: http://www.cpa.org.au/guardian/2010/1481/06-discrimination.html"Last week’s decision of the High
Court of Australia was of major significance for those who seek asylum
within our shores. ... The Court did not make a finding that the
current policy of off-shore processing of applications was invalid, so
if it wanted to, the government could still maintain the off-shore
Australian detention centres, and could also pursue the opening of
another centre in East Timor, without contradicting the Court’s
decision." Peter Mac

15 Nov 2010: Age: Gillard's
unfair 'solution' Age: http://www.theage.com.au/opinion/politics/gillards-unfair-solution-20100714-10azo.htmleast-timor: https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/east-timor/2010-11/msg00115.html"A strange bipartisanship now hangs
over asylum seeker boat arrivals. On becoming Prime Minister, Julia
Gillard confronted two stark questions on asylum seekers, an immediate
domestic political issue and a profound question of policy and
principle with implications well beyond our borders and the imminent
election. ... On the policy question, the plan - sold as a fresh
"vision" - involves exiling asylum seekers who arrive by boat to
another country in our region for ''processing''. Whether that be East
Timor or elsewhere, the policy is unfair and unworkable in equal
measure. ... " David Manne is executive director of the Refugee &
Immigration Legal Centre.

14 Nov 2010: ABC Insiders: High
Court ruling will have 'terrible consequences'ABC: http://www.abc.net.au/insiders/content/2010/s3065769.htm"Opposition immigration spokesman
Scott Morrison discusses Australia's population and says the High
Court's ruling on asylum seekers will lengthen the processing period.
... BARRIE CASSIDY: And presumably they
can use East Timor as well because there are no implications on this
for, in terms of having a regional processing centre?SCOTT MORRISON: Yeah well the problem
with the regional processing centre in East Timor is it's just never
going to happen. They can't get support. I'm not surprised because it's
effectively an asylum magnet. Nauru can be done today. And that is the
real difference between Nauru and East Timor is that Nauru can actually
happen. But this judgment doesn't go to the legitimacy of third country
processing. If anything, I think it actually highlights the need for
it. And that's why our policy is ready to go. "

12 Nov 2010: New Matilda: Why
Bother With Offshore Processing Now?NM: http://newmatilda.com/2010/11/12/why-bother-offshore-processing-now"Building yet another detention
centre in East Timor is no solution — contrary to [Australian
Immigration Minister] Chris Bowen’s statement yesterday that the [High
Court] decision has no significant implications for regional
processing. As long as the Australian government is involved in any
aspect of the decision process in asylum claims, the plain message from
the High Court is that it will not be easily dislodged from its
constitutionally entrenched role as guardian of justice and the rule of
law." Daniel Ghezelbash and Mary Crock

12 Nov 2010: SMH: Timor solution
in tatters SMH: http://www.smh.com.au/national/timor-solution-in-tatters-20101111-17pg3.html"THE [Australian] government's plans
for a detention centre in East Timor have been thrown into doubt by a
High Court judgment demanding the equal treatment of asylum seekers,
regardless of how they arrive. In a landmark decision, the High Court
ruled that two Sri Lankans who arrived by boat were denied ''procedural
fairness'' because their asylum claims were reviewed through a process
unchecked by Australian law. ... ''It's unlikely the government could
cure the fundamentally flawed process, as identified by the High Court,
by sending people to Timor or Nauru,'' [The lawyer who led the High
Court challenge] Mr Manne said." Yuko Narushima

11 Nov 2010: TVNZ: Australia
govt's immigration laws rappedTVNZ: http://tvnz.co.nz/world-news/australia-govt-s-immigration-laws-rapped-3890573"Australia's minority government
suffered a setback in its promise to strengthen border security when
the country's highest court ruled today that tough laws meant to deter
asylum seekers were unfair. The unanimous ruling by the High Court of
Australia's seven judges will force the Labor government to reshape its
policy of detaining asylum seekers on offshore islands and blocking
their access to appeal courts when refugee claims are rejected."

11 Nov 2010: Australian:
Offshore processing to continue, despite High Court ruling, says
Gillard government Aus: http://www.theaustralian.com.au/national-affairs/shake-up-looms-for-offshore-detention-after-high-court-ruling/story-fn59niix-1225951755999"REFUGEE claims may now take longer
but a landmark [Australian] High Court ruling does not mean offshore
processing of asylum-seekers is invalid, the government says. However
Immigration Minister Chris Bowen today admitted today's judgment had
“significant ramifications” and needed to be worked through
methodically. The full bench of the High Court unanimously rejected the
federal government's attempt to keep asylum-seekers on Christmas Island
outside the protection of Australian law." Lauren Wilson, Joe Kelly

9 Nov 2010: Japan Times: Gillard
fighting rough seas over Asian refugee flowJT: http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/eo20101109a2.html"Is she up to the job? That rude
question is being spoken out loud by Australian voters in the wake of
the first Southeast Asian tour of new Prime Minister Julia Gillard. The
Australian public normally do not hold high expectations of a new
leader strutting the world stage. But this one was different. Behind
Gillard's first foray into international diplomacy was a down-to-earth
challenge — how to stem the flow of South Asian refugees into
Australia." Alan Goodall

7 Nov 2010: SMH: Labor policy a
'three word slogan': Bishop SMH: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/labor-policy-a-three-word-slogan-bishop-20101107-17il2.html"[Australian government] Opposition
foreign affairs spokeswoman Julie Bishop says it was premature for the
prime minister to discuss plans for a regional processing centre for
asylum seekers with Asian leaders because it's just a "three word
slogan". Ms Bishop told the Ten Network on Sunday the government's
policy for an East Timor-based facility, which Prime Minister Julia
Gillard has discussed with leaders including Indonesia's president,
would not transpire."

6 Nov 2010: Green Left:
Gillard’s East Timor plan in troubleGL: http://www.greenleft.org.au/node/45982"Prime Minister Julia Gillard used a
series of meetings with Asian leaders at the UN Regional Summit on
October 30 to lobby for her government’s proposal to build a “regional”
detention centre for refugees in East Timor. She met with Vietnamese
President Nguyen Minh Triet, Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh,
Prime Minister Bouasone Bouphavanh of Laos and President Benigno Aquino
of the Philippines, the October 30 Australian reported. She also met
with United Nations secretary general Ban Ki-Moon, who “noted” her
proposal — the only outcome reported." Niko Leka

5 Nov 2010: sifi news: Tamils
want refugee centre in SE Asia to stop human smugglingsifi: http://sify.com/news/tamils-want-refugee-centre-in-se-asia-to-stop-human-smuggling-news-international-klfkaeehhji.html"Toronto, Nov 5 (IANS) The Sri Lankan
Tamil diaspora here has urged Canada and Australia, which are
struggling to stop illegal refugees or so-called boat people from Sri
Lanka, to quickly set up a refugee centre in South-East Asia to process
cases of genuine people. Thousands of Sri Lankan Tamils, who have fled
to South-Est Asia during and after the civil war, are falling victims
to human smugglers promising them to take to Canada and Australia."

4
Nov 2010: Christian Science Monitor: Australia's Julia Gillard
struggles to sell asylum center plan to neighborsCS: http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Asia-Pacific/2010/1104/Australia-s-Julia-Gillard-struggles-to-sell-asylum-center-plan-to-neighbors"Illegal immigration has long been a
political hot potato in Australia, which has a lot of foreign-born
residents and an economy that is increasingly integrated with Asia.
Australia's neighbors aren't biting on [Australian Prime Minister]
Julia Gillard's asylum center plan. ... Neither Malaysia nor Indonesia,
which are key transit points for refugees trying to reach Australia by
sea, have committed to the plan." Simon Montlake

4 Nov 2010: Herald Sun: Gillard could
fund East Timor solutionHS: http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/national/gillard-could-fund-east-timor-solution/story-e6frf7l6-1225947008469east-timor: [scroll down page]
https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/east-timor/2010-11/msg00016.html"[Australia's Prime Minister] JULIA
Gillard has left open the option of giving money to Australia’s
neighbours to help meet the cost of being part of her East Timor
Solution. As two more boats carrying 144 people were intercepted off
Christmas Island, Ms Gillard met with Indonesian President Susilo
Bambang Yudhoyono in Jakarta to discuss people smuggling. This year 114
boats carrying more than 5700 people have arrived and Ms Gillard wants
to build a processing centre in East Timor as part of a regional plan
to fight people smuggling." Phillip Hudson in Jakarta

4 Nov 2010: NTDTV: Australian PM Meets
with Indonesian PresidentNTDTV: http://english.ntdtv.com/ntdtv_en/ns_asia/2010-11-02/473800497932.html"Sources say Gillard and Yudhoyono
discussed how to increase cooperation across economic, security,
development and environmental challenges. Asylum is a major issue
between the two countries. Gillard has plans of opening a regional
asylum seeker-processing center in East Timor."

4 Nov 2010: east-timor:
GreensMPs_Media: Lines on Immigrationeast-timor: https://lists.riseup.net/www/arc/east-timor/2010-11/msg00036.html"[Australian] Senator Sarah
Hanson-Young, Greens spokesperson on Immigration: "The Greens believe
the figures that should be focused on today are 52 and 500 - the number
of genuine refugees warehoused in Indonesia that Australia has agreed
to resettle, compared to the number they have committed to take in
discussions with Jakarta. "If we are serious about reducing the number
of boats that come to Australia, the first thing we should be doing is
living up to our obligations and acting as a leader in the region by
taking our fair share of genuine refugees."

2 Nov 2010: Bloomberg: Indonesia
`Open' to Australian Proposal for Asylum Center, Yudhoyono SaysBloomberg: http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-11-02/indonesia-open-to-australian-proposal-for-asylum-center-yudhoyono-says.html"Indonesia’s government is “open” to
an Australian proposal to build a processing center for asylum seekers
to reduce people-smuggling and human-trafficking in the region,
President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono said. “We need to ensure that the
regional processing center is the proper way,” Yudhoyono said after a
meeting with Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard in Jakarta today.
“Indonesia is open to that, but we have to discuss this in depth.” "
Agus Suhana

2 Nov 2010: SMH: Gillard asylum talks
a 'charade': oppn SMH: http://news.smh.com.au/breaking-news-national/gillard-asylum-talks-a-charade-oppn-20101102-17c2x.html"[Australia's] Opposition immigration
spokesman Scott Morrison said the burden on Christmas Island continued
to grow while Ms Gillard was in Indonesia holding talks on an East
Timor-based facility for asylum seekers. "Australia's failed border
protection polices are the reason why our region now has a problem, and
this is where Australia's attention should be focused," he said in a
statement. Ms Gillard's talks with Indonesia were a "charade", Mr
Morrison said."

1 Nov 2010: ABC Lateline: Malaysia not
ready to endorse Timor solutionABC: http://www.abc.net.au/lateline/content/2010/s3054421.htm"Julia Gillard's visit to Indonesia
has resulted in frustration, after Malaysia's deputy prime minister
requested more information on Australia's plan for a refugee processing
centre in East Timor. ... MUHYIDDIN YASSIN, MALAYSIAN DEPUTY
PM: We discussed just now that we need more information because there's
a lot of implications that Malaysia would like to see how we could be
in a way involved in those exercise. There are a few outstanding
matters that need to be addressed before Malaysia takes its official
position in this."

1 Nov 2010: NZ Herald: Bid for asylum
centre harks back to crisisNZH: http://www.nzherald.co.nz/politics/news/article.cfm?c_id=280&objectid=10684420"There is a sense of deja vu in
Australia's bid to win New Zealand's support for a regional processing
centre for asylum seekers. Prime Minister Julia Gillard is hoping to
convince Wellington to back plans for a new facility in East Timor, a
cause she forwarded in discussions with John Key last week at the East
Asia Summit in Hanoi. Faced with continued interceptions of boats from
Indonesia and the pressures they add to the fragile minority Labor
Government, Gillard wants to divert all asylum seekers to a centre
outside Australia and exclude them from appeals to its judicial
system." Greg Ansley